Maraqua's Faerie
by Jessie Wings
Summary: When you visit Maraqua, you can see a tiny statue of a Dark Faerie waiting in the corner. Why is she there, and what happened to her?


My name is Jhenna. I was a Darkness Faerie, a while ago, but my demise came with Maraqua's.

How could I be speaking to you, if I am long gone? Well ... remember, faeries can't die. My spirit is all I have now, I am stuck inside my statue. The only things I hear are things from the mouths of the people who visit the Ruins of Maraqua. But it is enough, to tell you what I think happened to my friends and foes.

It may take a while for me to remember, but I am going to tell you everything – after all, I _am_ stuck inside my statue forever.

Everyone knew I was unusual from the beginning – after all, who ever heard of a Darkness Faerie as good as a Light one?

Nobody had, of course ... and they treated me like a little puny Slorg. (Okay, okay, I'm not nice ALL the time.) Every one, from a little baby Water Faerie to Queen Fyora herself. THEY mistreated me because I was a Dark Faerie. As if that had anything to do with anything! And the Dark Faeries ... well, you know how they are. Anything that's not like them ... kicked out the door.

Before you start to think I had a terrible time, I can say one thing: I didn't. I read. A lot. I read wonderful stories, and soon I began writing them, too. A few (well, okay, two,) got into my school's newspaper, which was cool.

But, being dependent upon your imagination for happiness isn't exactly a good thing. For one thing, you tend to get sad every time ANYTHING bad happens – that is the power of the mind. Almost stronger than magic.

But, luckily, there was finally a faerie who saw through my skin and wings. Her name was Baelia – then she was an Air Faerie, except according to someone who went to Maraqua a few weeks ago, she is now a "Grey" Faerie. Whatever that is. (Obviously, I have not been around Neopia for awhile.)

It was the beginning of Faerieland High NeoSchool, and she came from another primary school (or elementary, I've heard both terms used!) to our new school.

Baelia got the desk next to mine ... I was relieved. I hadn't wanted a Dark Faerie – or a Light Faerie, they were just as unfair – sitting next to me. Also, she hadn't known me before, which was a definite plus. Most of the faeries at our High NeoSchool came from my old school; about 20 out of 1,000 hadn't. (Areas.)

"Hi," I said to her. If you were startled when Neopets changed the front page for April Fools (although I'm not quite sure if they did; it's what I heard), then Baelia was mega-surprised.

"Um, hi," she said, nervously. (I WAS a Dark Faerie.)

"Um, uh ... geesh, we sound pretty silly," I said.

"Yeah," she laughed. Then she continued. "Um, uh ... would you mind if ... uh ... I could be your NeoFriend? None of my old NeoFriends are at this NeoSchool."

"None of mine are here either," I said. It _was_ the truth, I'd had no NeoFriends. "We'll be NeoFriends!"

And so, little old me, NeoFriendless for so long, finally got a NeoFriend.

I'd made one new NeoFriend, but four new NeoEnemies. The first three were Allurza, Jhana and Molata. They were ... uh ... followers, of the meanest one. Of course, all three were Dark Faeries ... how could they not be?

And then, there was the worst, the one I _think_ captured Baelia after I got frozen. Her name? Jennumara. Jennumara was pretty, two years older than us. (Her "followers" were the same age as her, except for Jhana, who was a year younger.) But, of course, beauty doesn't mean kindness. I mean, beautiful people _can_ be kind, but they don't have to be. I guess she looked like Jhudora, if you replace the green with a slightly lighter purple, and put her hair in a ponytail. (She only did that at school, of course – she wanted to _appear_ good.)

What did Jennumara do? Regular bully stuff. Steal lunch money. Hang us upside-down until we begged for mercy. (Well, Baelia did anyway. I was too used to that.) And, she used to get us in trouble. Like we'd sit by a tree, and she'd magically make it fall over, while invisible. Baelia and I had that power too (except for me, only 99, nd only for creatures of good faith), but we didn't have time to use it. The nearby Fire Faerie teacher gave us detention.

But Jennumara didn't matter. I was a Dark Faerie too, no matter how much I wished I wasn't. And I was good at school – especially in magic class, which was the only class you were only allowed to be in with Faeries of your own sort. (No Baelia in THAT class.)

Time went by. I went to university (or college) – and I studied well. Baelia went to the same one as me – I was happy about that. Except, Jennumara went to the same one! Jennumara was a nightmare. She didn't bother holding her hair back anymore ... she really did look like Jhudora. Maybe they're relatives.

I still read the Neopian Times, and plenty of books. I really was as good as a Light Faerie – Baelia and Jennumara could tell you that. Of course, I wasn't a Light Faerie, or Earth, Air, Water or Fire. And I wasn't a special faerie, like the Snow Faerie, or the Soup Faerie. I was just Jhenna, the misunderstood Darkness Faerie.

And eventually, graduated from university.

I worked ... um, I forgot where. I do know that I worked with Baelia and NOT Jennumara. I remember now ... I was a chef, and I made food for the Faerie Foods shop. And I read and wrote in my free time.

But I was bored. I mean, you can only read so many books and cook so many foods. And besides, everyone still treated me like a Slorg!

I decided that I needed to do something. Something that would impress everyone, and _prove_ I was more than a Dark Faerie. (Believe me, I would _not_ be impressing the Darkness Faeries.)

Yes, and then, an evil pirate captain was spotted in Maraqua. It was Hiding the 17th, Y3.

That led me to be where I am now. Baelia tried to stop me; to prevent me ... she knew the danger. I saw through it. I was SO determined to prove to Queen Fyora and the others who I was, I didn't really think of danger. Besides, faeries can't die, right?

Wrong – but only partly. They can't die, but they can find themselves in my position ... trapped forever in a statue. If I'd listened to her, I might have found another opportunity ... Darigan ... NPV2 ... but I took Maraqua.

I went to Maraqua early on the 18th (or Meerca Day). As I went into the sea, I didn't, of course, know that I would never ever see the shore again.

It was around noon that ... that ... well, a Koi swam past yelling, "TWISTER! TWISTER!!!"

Koi, Flotsams, Jetsams, Peophins and the tourists all scampered ... there was so much panic ... mayhem ... it was awful. And then the twister came into view.

It was terrifying. It was so big, I was sure that ten faeries would fit inside it, in their large version.

For a second, I panicked ... and then I took my weapons and tried to attack.

I realized that abilities would work better – and then, I wished I was Baelia ... Diamond Dust can freeze your opponent.

I tried Temporal Leak. The thing is, it just slows it down, not stop it. It did slow down all right, but the force was still there, even if the speed wasn't.

I don't really remember what happened next ... I was drawn in, and next thing I knew, I couldn't move. I looked as far as I could ... I couldn't see Maraqua anymore. Where was it?

Rubble surrounded me. Charred bits of metal, savagely torn to bits by forces to great for it. Broken glass everywhere. Tiles, bones... it truly was a scene of horror.

Then a realisation dawned on me.

I hadn't saved Maraqua.

The twister kept moving, even if slowly. All I did was give the Maraquans and tourists more time to escape ...

I sacrificed myself.

Then I saw a girl come down. She was younger than a teenager, but only by a few years. She had thick, brown hair that came down to her shoulders. She wore mainly blue; it matched her eyes. She had runners on her shoes and was rather thin, though not skinny. There was a good deal of intelligence and wisdom in her eyes; I could see that.

She walked a little way towards the wreckage, but then I saw a giant sea snail yell.

"Fine!" the girl snapped back, and she wandered over to me.

"What's this?" she murmured, picking me up. "And why is it a Dark Faerie?" (I don't think I'd noticed that I was small like a bottled faerie, but I did now.)

She set me down on a rock, which she then sat on.

"Please," I said, my mouth not moving, "Please, I have a story to tell, a sad story."

The girl nodded, looking at me strangely. Well, I guess it was pretty strange. "My name is Rachel," the girl said, "and ... who are you?"

"My name is Jhenna," I said. "But, before I tell, I want to know ... when is it?"

"It's Relaxing, year six," she said. "And this place," she said, gesturing at the land around, "is Maraqua."

I gasped. I mean, I'd known it was Maraqua, but not really _known_, more thought. And that meant ... if it really was Maraqua ... I had failed. I hadn't saved it.

"Please," I said, "what happened to Baelia?"

Rachel thought. "You mean, Baelia the Grey Faerie?"

"A grey faerie?" I asked, not understanding.

"Yes," Rachel nodded, "she was released a few months ago," she said. Then realising I hadn't understood her, she went on, "There was a Dark Faerie, Jennumara. Jennumara ... um ... kidnapped ... uh ... faerienapped her, and removed her wings. A few months ago, a Kyrii came by, and played a game with the enchanted lock. Jennumara is still out to get her."

I stayed still, if Jennumara had ... caught ... Baelia ... she might be out to get me too!

"What about your story?" Rachel asked. "What happened to you?"

I paused. "Well ..."

And that is my story.


End file.
